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Importing Paradox into Palm Pilot

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DLDavis

Technical User
Oct 26, 2001
24
US
Is there a program that will allow a Paradox database to be imported into a palm pilot?
 
DLDavis,

Directly? Not that I know of. However, according to the Knowledge Base on Palm's support site, you can create templates that let you import comma-separated text files (CSV) into the address book and other Palm applications.

Since you can export Paradox tables to CSV, it looks as if it's a two-step operation.

Hope this helps...

-- Lance
 
What Lance says is right, the CSV exported DB can be imported into the Palm. I recently did it with my HandSpring, adding our employee files to my address book.
 
...but if I did that...wouldn't my database have to exactly match the fields in whatever palm app I was exporting to? I have a database of clients..names...contact phone numbers...appointment dates...etc...and a memo field for tracking the case from pick up to put down. Since the fields don't match (or even resemble) any of the fields in a palm app...I wouldn't think it'd fit...but I'm not a programmer.

I had hopes that ThinkDB would import it...but I see nothing in the specs saying it would.
 
For something like that I would just bring it in to Address Book. Just rename the Add Book custom fields to match the odd fields in your data.
 
Late to this, I am seeking advice on a good DB program for Paradox files on Palm. I think DesktoptomobileDB actually sets up a direct conduit for HandDBase and DesktoMobileDb.
 
jlockley,

Given that the only way Borland has ever documented access to the Paradox File Format requires the use of BDE and the fact that BDE is so large, I seriously doubt there's a BDE-clone designed to run on the actual Palm Pilot itself.

I think your best approach is to write a script (or pushButton event) in Paradox to export your data to the text file format documented in Palm's KnowledgeBase. since it's just a text file, you can also write an import procedure designed to look for changes to the underlying record and keep your Paradox data sychronized with your Palm data.

There may be a tool already available, though I haven't personally seen it. I'd consider using Google to locate any web pages that contain keywords like "Palm Paradox" and so on.

Hope this helps...

-- Lance
 
"you can also write an import procedure designed to look for changes to the underlying record and keep your Paradox data sychronized with your Palm data."

Not yet. Maybe someday, but I'm still getting acquainted with the existence of push button processes. Thanks for the confidence, though. Langley gave me an idea I am going to try. Importing it by hand is not all that cumbersome, although I would prefer some kind of synch.

By the way, HandDBase (trying it now) is painfully slow.
 
Follow up on this issue.
1)If you export a Paradox database to ascii or csv, you can import to palm. You must remember to check the option to use the headers as first line of data. When you import to Palm, the Palm interface will prompt you to correlate the fields. This is a short process and the script you create can be saved. The palm handheld has a limit on how many fields can be imported into one category, howeger.

2) If you have a great amount of information to import there are several database programs. Handibase is the most popular. I hae used it to bring a 9,000 record database into a pilot successfully. The drawback with this program is that it can be tediously slow, at least with a large database, and synching your pilot can take over an hour.

There is also no way to remove the third party database from Palm OS's proprietary search program, so if you wish to search all categories for a term, you will need much more patience than most of us have.

Handibase can be found at . Alternately search for Palm Database aps on Tucows or zdnet. There are several, one or two freeware.
 
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